Coakley’s office fines NatGrid for pay issues

BOSTON – Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office has fined National Grid $270,000 for various violations of the state’s wage and hour laws after complaints that hundreds of Massachusetts workers have gone unpaid for up to nine weeks.

Coakley’s office fines NatGrid for pay issues

BOSTON – Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office has fined National Grid $270,000 for various violations of the state’s wage and hour laws after complaints that hundreds of Massachusetts workers have gone unpaid for up to nine weeks.

National Grid had previously set a self-imposed target date of Dec. 14, 2012 to correct the pay issues. After that date had passed, AG Coakley sent a letter calling for the energy company to rectify all wage issues no later than Dec. 21 or face penalties.

According to a news release, in November 2012, National Grid’s new pay system encountered technical difficulties that resulted in a host of pay-related issues, largely in connection with compensation for work performed during Hurricane Sandy. Thousands of problems were identified companywide, including the failure to pay wages in a timely manner to nearly 2,000 Massachusetts workers who worked to ensure that power was restored.

Under Massachusetts law, wages must be paid no later than six days from the end of the pay period during which the wages were earned. •

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